"Under the Hood" - Five Tips For Improving Your Car's Fuel Economy

FAIRFAX, Va.--June 26, 2006--Poor fuel economy can put a costly damper on any summer vacation taken in the family vehicle. But according to Mark Salem, host of the "Under the Hood" car-care radio show in Phoenix and an ASE(a) Certified Master Technician, there are a few simple things you can do to enhance your fuel economy no matter what type of vehicle you drive, which means you'll buy less gas and have more money to enjoy this summer's vacation.

Get the junk out of the trunk.

Salem recommends removing unnecessary winter supplies such as bags of salt and tire chains from the trunk of your vehicle.

"The dead weight found in the trunk of many cars can be equivalent to a full-size man. Get that bag of old newspapers to the recycling bin," he says. "Your vehicle will require less energy to move without the dead weight. So ask yourself if you really need to be transporting around that card table, set of golf clubs or storage container."

Keep air in your tires.

"Remember what it was like riding your bike as a child with half-flat tires?" asks Salem. "It was hard to get the bike moving. Once you inflated the tires, your bike was like a new sports car; it went faster with far less effort. Your car feels the same pain when the tires are at, say, 28 psi instead of the recommended 35 psi. Just to be clear: not every tire should be inflated to 35 psi. Look for the recommended psi rating on a label on your driver's door or in the glove box."

Use the right motor oil for your vehicle.

Salem notes that the importance of using good motor oil cannot be overstated. To illustrate this point, he suggests trying a simple exercise.

"Take your hands and place them together with palms touching," he says. "Then rub the palms against each other quickly. Feel that warmth generated by friction? That's exactly what is happening inside your engine. If you rubbed your hands together like that for an hour, you'd probably do some damage to your hands. And you'd also have to work much harder to rub your hands together."

If you put motor oil between those two sliding surfaces, Salem notes, a lot of that friction goes away, and the engine doesn't have to work as hard. As a result, an engine is more fuel efficient.

"But not every motor oil is created equal," said Salem. "Some last longer than others and some promote better fuel economy. For example, last year ExxonMobil introduced a new high endurance motor oil to its Mobil 1 brand of synthetic motor oils -- Mobil 1 Extended Performance, which is guaranteed for 15,000 miles. The Mobil 1 brand also has two viscosity grades that specifically help promote greater fuel economy -- Mobil 1 0W-20 and Mobil 1 0W-30."

Keep your vehicle clean.

"Believe it or not, that layer of dirt on your exterior creates drag that, over long distances, hurts your miles-per-gallon count," says Salem. He points out that keeping your vehicle washed and waxed will improve its aerodynamics, improving your fuel economy. "And you'll feel good about driving around in a clean vehicle," he adds.

Consider the best option for ventilation.

Conventional wisdom says that cars are always more fuel-efficient when the air conditioner is off. Salem disagrees. "On long trips or highway driving, using the air conditioner is actually more fuel efficient than rolling down the windows," he says. "When driving fast, open windows create a drag that forces the engine to work harder to maintain speed. For short trips or in city traffic, roll down the windows and enjoy the breeze, but on the highway, turn on the air."

(a) National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence